This invention relates to forced air cooling of circuit packs which are arranged in a stacked configuration.
The density of heat generating components in electronic circuit packs continues to rise, bringing with it increased concern about proper cooling of the circuits. Forced fluid cooling is expected to be a necessity in the near future, and several proposals have already been made to facilitate such cooling. For example, jet impingement of air onto the heat generating component can be provided through separate plenums (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,965 issued to Gabuzda et al), or through the circuit board assembly itself (see, e.g., K. Azar U.S. patent application Ser. No. 522,290, filed May 11, 1990 and assigned to the present assignee). It has also been suggested that air can be blown onto the components through holes in the enclosures or shields surrounding the circuit components (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,437 issued to Bell et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,255 issued to Adkins). It has been suggested further that holes in the circuit boards themselves could allow air to impinge on components in circuit packs which are stacked (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,484 issued to Mayer).
In stacked configurations which are open and where the air is flowing essentially parallel to the circuit packs, there is a problem of stagnant air pockets forming in areas between components. This problem can be solved by introducing turbulators on the wall facing the circuit pack components (see K. Azar U.S. patent application Ser. No. 527,602, filed May 23, 1990).
It is desirable to provide an alternative solution to this problem which has the potential for lower cost.